I'm a Foreign Service Officer and Pickering alumna. I'm not sure where life is taking me but stick around and we'll find out together.

Monday, February 20, 2017

Barthelona!

This weekend I took advantage of the holiday and snuck out of town for a visit I've been meaning to make ever since I arrived in Europe. I would even venture to call it a Pilgrimage. No, not for religious reasons. Think more along the lines of food and everyone's favorite - architecture! (woot!)

Barcelona was lovely - easy to get around, chock full of interesting restaurants, and with a distinctly different feel from Rome, grittier but also more cosmopolitan.

I focused on art and architecture - seeing the Picasso museum, three of Gaudi's most famous works, a lovely city park, and all the restaurants ever.

I'll do Gaudi next - in the meantime...

Food!

Awesome tapas

Patatas Bravas

Chorizo

Didn't manage to get pictures of the bread with tomato (Pa amb tomàquet), octopus (pulpo a feira), brunch from here, churros from everywhere, and empanadas (both of which I always thought came from Latin America, but surprise, they're from Spain after all!)

Needless to say, I ate well.

I also took a few photos of the neighborhoods I explored - mostly I spent time the Gothic Quarter, Born, Poble Sec and the Passeig de Gracia. Like Rome, Barcelona has a pretty good mix of elaborate wealthy neighborhoods full of beautiful apartment buildings (see below)

Lots of middle class housing, and lots of laundry hanging from balconies

And charming little courtyards (plazas) that just appear out of nowhere when you're wandering the tightly packed streets in the oldest parts of town.

It was a great visit and I saw the things I wanted to see most, but I could easily fill another trip with everything still on the to-do list. Til next time Barcelona!